The present invention is directed to communications systems and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for providing call screening and other communication services.
In modern times, telephones have become almost a necessity. Telephones are found in most homes and offices. Marketers have found that the telephone can be used as a powerful sales tool. Telephones provide a way of reaching a potential customer who frequently would not be willing to speak with the marketer if they knew it was a salesperson calling.
Various attempts have been made to shield telephone subscriber""s from unwanted calls, e.g., telemarketer calls. Having an unlisted telephone number provides some protection from unsolicited calls from the public at large. Computer controlled sequential dialing of multiple numbers is commonly performed by telemarketers with the express intention of reaching both listed and unlisted telephone service subscribers. Accordingly, unlisted numbers provide little protection from telemarketers.
Most telephone systems today use SS7 (Signaling System 7) standards for communication of telephone calls. SS7 is a digital communications protocol which supports various messaging and call information features which facilitate a variety of telephone services. SS7 facilitates advanced intelligent network (AIN) call processing. Such processing normally includes. call handling instructions being obtained by a switch from a service control point (SCP). The SCP normally includes logic, e.g., call processing records, used to provide a switch with specific call processing instructions as a function of information obtained from a database and/or call information provided by the switch or another source. The logic in a switch used to initiate a request to an SCP for call processing instructions is normally referred to as a trigger or an AIN trigger.
The SS7 messaging associated with a telephone call, includes a caller ID field which incorporates the caller""s telephone number as well as a caller ID display field. By setting a caller ID blocking bit in the caller ID display field, the display of caller ID information to the called party is prohibited. Accordingly, SS7 provides information which can be useful in identifying a caller but may be blocked from being displayed to a called party.
Unfortunately, in some places in this country and around the world, older analog telephone circuitry remains in use. When a telephone call is routed between telephone switches using this old analog technology, the caller ID information provided by the digital SS7 messaging standard is normally lost.
In order to avoid having to answer calls from unwanted parties, e.g., telemarketers, telephone customer""s often subscribe to a caller ID service or an enhanced caller ID service. With basic caller ID service, assuming the call is not passed between switches over analog lines and the caller does not activate caller ID blocking, the calling party""s telephone number will be displayed to the called party.
In the case of enhanced caller ID service, the calling party""s telephone number is used to perform a database look-up operation which associates the calling party""s telephone number with a name in a database, e.g., a line information database (LIDB). Both the name and the calling party""s telephone number are then displayed to the called party allowing the called party to make an educated decision as to whether or not to answer the phone call. Unfortunately, not all telephone companies share name and phone number information. In addition, even when the phone companies do exchange such information, names associated with unlisted telephone numbers may be omitted from the database used for providing name information to caller-ID service subscribers.
Telemarketers generally take steps to make sure that caller-ID name information is not available to local telephone companies in regions they are calling. Thus, in the case of most telemarketer calls, subscribers to caller ID services are, at best, provided a telephone number but no identifying name when being called by a telemarketer. Common caller-ID conditions which are encountered in the case of telemarketers are 1) name not available and 2) out of area. Caller ID blocked may be yet another condition which may be encountered.
In order to avoid disturbing telephone subscribes with calls for which caller-ID information is blocked or unavailable, a variety of call screening systems have been designed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,497,414 and 5,533,106 describe known call screening systems.
Known call screening services allow a subscriber to the service to program, prior to receipt of a call, how telephone calls for which caller-ID information is blocked or unavailable should be handled. This is done by having the service subscriber provide a list of desired call handling instructions used to create a call processing record (CPR). The call handling instructions may include, e.g., rejecting calls for which caller-ID information is unavailable or blocked, sending such calls to voice mail, or allowing calls for which a preselected call screening override code has been entered to be connected to the called party.
Such call screening services provide a useful tool against telemarketers and other unwanted callers. However, the known systems have several drawbacks. For example they fail to provide the call screening service subscriber the opportunity to receive calls from individuals who do not have a valid override code and whose caller-ID information is not available for legitimate reasons. For example, a calling party""s caller Id information may be unavailable because the caller is traveling and calling from a pay phone or other phone for which caller-ID information is unavailable.
Another disadvantage of the known systems, is that calls may be blocked even when the called party is not home. From the calling party""s perspective, such a situation may be undesirable since the calling party may be denied the opportunity to leave a message for the called party on an answering machine located on the called premises. From the telephone company""s perspective, such a situation is undesirable since the telephone company may be denied revenue that could be collected by completing the call to an answering machine located at the called party""s premises.
In view of the above discussion, it is apparent that there is a need for new and improved call screening methods. It is desirable that at least some of the methods provide a manner for informing a called party of a call for which caller ID information is blocked or unavailable and for allowing the called party to make a knowledgeable decision on how to dispose of the call while the calling party is still on the line. It is also desirable that at least some of the methods allow for a call to be completed to an answering machine located at the called premises or to a voicemail system.
The present invention is directed to methods and apparatus which can be used to provide call screening and other communication services.
In one exemplary embodiment, calls to call screening service (CSS) subscribers are detected at the central office switch to which the called party""s premises are connected using a terminating attempt trigger. Upon detecting a call directed to a CSS subscriber, a check is made to see if caller ID information is blocked or unavailable. It the caller ID information is blocked or unavailable, and the calling party does not enter a call screening override code, the call is connected to an intelligent peripheral (IP) which is used to play messages to the calling and/or called party, to collect information and/or menu selection entries from the calling and/or called party, and to control ultimate disposition of the call.
As part of the call screening processing performed by the IP, in one exemplary embodiment, the IP records spoken caller identification information. The IP then calls the CSS subscriber to whom the call was directed. The terminating attempt trigger at the caller""s switch detects the call from the IP to the CSS subscriber. However, since this second call to the caller is from the IP, the service control point responsible for providing call processing instructions to the switch result in the switch connecting the call from the IP to the subscriber""s premises.
The IP is programmed to detect whether a human or machine answers the IP initiated call to the subscriber premises and to control subsequent call processing based on whether the call is answered by a human or machine. The manner in which a human or machine response is detected can vary depending on the embodiment.
In one exemplary embodiment, connection to an answering machine is determined by detecting a tone, e.g., recording prompt, or other audio or electrical signal indicative of a response from an answering machine.
In another exemplary embodiment, upon detecting that the call to the subscriber has been answered, the IP plays a message prompting for input from the subscriber. If the requested input, e.g., specific numbers entered using the phone key pad or spoken words, are not entered, it is assumed that a machine has answered the call and the IP connects the caller to the subscriber premises so a message may be left on the answering machine located there. Alternatively, under such circumstances, the caller may be connected to a subscriber""s voicemail system.
If the requested input is received from the subscriber premises, it indicates that a human has answered the IP""s call. Upon receiving the requested input, the subscriber is played a recording of the caller""s name which was supplied by the caller and recorded by the IP. The called party is then provided a menu of call disposition options including, e.g., refuse the call, play a no salesperson message to the caller, transfer the call to voice mail (if the CSS subscriber is also a VMS subscriber) and accept the call. In response to detection of a call disposition selection made by the subscriber, the IP implements the requested disposition option.
In the exemplary embodiment, when the forward to voice mail option is selected by the CSS subscriber, the IP""s call to the CSS subscriber is first terminated. A new call to the CSS subscriber is then initiated by the IP. This results in the terminating attempt trigger on the CSS subscriber""s line to be triggered for a third time. In response to a request for call processing instructions initiated by the third trigger event, a service control point (SCP) instructs the subscriber""s switch to transfer the call from the IP to the subscriber""s VMS system. The calling party is then connected by the IP to the called party""s VMS system where the caller can leave a message.
The above described call screening service makes significant use of an IP""s capability to play messages, collect information, and control call disposition in response to received input. In addition, it allows a CSS subscriber to interact with the IP while a caller is on the line thereby allowing individual customized disposition of individual calls based on orally supplied caller identification information. Notably, the CSS process of the present invention is able to determine whether a call is answered by a human or an answering machine. This allows users to continue to use answering machines while still benefiting from call screening service features which allow for real time call disposition input from a called party when available.
Various additional features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows.